Specific Scheduling Request

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and apparatus are presented for providing enhanced scheduling requests, e.g., in an IEEE 802.11 network. A client station (STA) may determine one or more minimum quality of service (QoS) metrics for supporting an application being implemented by the STA, and may determine minimum scheduling parameters to be implemented by an access point (AP) to achieve the minimum QoS. The STA may transmit to the AP a specific scheduling request indicating the minimum scheduling parameters. In response, the AP may schedule communication resources for the STA in accordance with the minimum scheduling resources.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims benefit of priority of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 62/906,928, titled “Specific Scheduling Request”,filed Sep. 27, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety as though fully and completely set forth herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application relates to wireless communication, including totechniques for performing network resource scheduling.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Wireless communication systems are rapidly growing in usage. Further,wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-onlycommunications to also include the transmission of data, such asInternet and multimedia content.

Mobile electronic devices, or user equipment devices (UEs) may take theform of smart phones or tablets that access wireless local area networks(WLANs). In many environments, a large number of WLAN access points maybe available, and it may be a time and energy intensive process for a UEto determine the most desirable wireless access point upon which toconnect. Therefore, improvements in the field are desired.

SUMMARY

Embodiments are presented herein of, inter alia, systems, apparatuses,and methods for performing network resource scheduling.

A client station (STA) may determine one or more minimum quality ofservice (QoS) metrics for communication between the STA and an accesspoint (AP), such as one or more minimum QoS metrics for supporting anapplication being implemented by the STA, and may determine minimumscheduling parameters to be implemented by the AP to achieve the minimumQoS. The STA may transmit to the AP a specific scheduling requestindicating the minimum scheduling parameters. In response, the AP mayschedule communication resources for the STA in accordance with theminimum scheduling resources. The STA may receive a resource allocationmessage from the AP, allocating the communication resources to the STA,based at least in part on the specific scheduling request. The STA maythen communicate with the AP using the allocated communicationresources.

In some scenarios, the specific scheduling request may be included in anA-Control field of a MAC header of a communication packet. In some suchscenarios, the MAC header may further include an indication that theA-Control field includes the specific scheduling request.

In some scenarios, the specific scheduling request may be included in aninformation element of a management frame.

In some scenarios, the specific scheduling request may be transmitted inresponse to initiation of the application.

In some scenarios, the minimum scheduling parameters may include aminimum interval and/or a maximum interval between trigger framestransmitted by the AP, wherein the trigger frames carry resourceallocation information for the STA. In some scenarios, the minimumscheduling parameters may include a minimum data throughput to beaccommodated by the allocated communication resources.

In some scenarios, the specific scheduling request may further indicatefeedback regarding current allocation of communication resources to theSTA. For example, the feedback regarding current allocation ofcommunication resources to the STA may include a request that the APtransmit trigger frames more frequently than currently scheduled. Asanother example, the feedback may include a request that the AP allocatemore resource units to the STA than are currently allocated, As anotherexample, the feedback may include a request that the AP set up ablock-acknowledge agreement with the STA.

Apparatuses and systems are disclosed for implementing methods such asthose summarized above.

This summary is intended to provide a brief overview of some of thesubject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will beappreciated that the above-described features are merely examples andshould not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subjectmatter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, andadvantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtainedwhen the following detailed description of the embodiments is consideredin conjunction with the following drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication system including auser equipment device (UE), according to some embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example UE, according to someembodiments; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless access point,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates two different possible resource allocations for aSTA, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for performingresource scheduling, according to some embodiments.

While the features described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof areshown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described indetail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to be limiting to the particularform disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Incorporation by Reference

The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference, as thoughfully set forth herein:

IEEE 802.11-2016

IEEE 802.11ax D4.3

Acronyms

The following acronyms are used in this disclosure.

AP: Access Point

BSR: Buffer Status Report

IE: Information Element

MAC: Medium Access Control

OUI: Organizationally Unique Identifier

PLCP: Physical Layer Convergence Protocol

QoS: Quality of Service

SSR: Specific Scheduling Request

SU EDCA: Single User Enhanced Distributed Channel Access

STA: Station (e.g., a wireless communication station)

TB PPDU: Trigger-Based PLCP Protocol Data Unit

TID: Traffic Identifier

UE: User Equipment

UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

Terminology

The following are definitions of terms used in this disclosure:

Memory Medium—Any of various types of non-transitory memory devices orstorage devices. The term “memory medium” is intended to include aninstallation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks, or tape device; acomputer system memory or random-access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM,SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; a non-volatile memory such as a Flash,magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage; registers, orother similar types of memory elements, etc. The memory medium mayinclude other types of non-transitory memory as well or combinationsthereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a firstcomputer system in which the programs are executed, or may be located ina second different computer system which connects to the first computersystem over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, thesecond computer system may provide program instructions to the firstcomputer for execution. The term “memory medium” may include two or morememory mediums which may reside in different locations, e.g., indifferent computer systems that are connected over a network. The memorymedium may store program instructions (e.g., embodied as computerprograms) that may be executed by one or more processors.

Carrier Medium—a memory medium as described above, as well as a physicaltransmission medium, such as a bus, network, and/or other physicaltransmission medium that conveys signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals.

Programmable Hardware Element—includes various hardware devicescomprising multiple programmable function blocks connected via aprogrammable interconnect. Examples include FPGAs (Field ProgrammableGate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (FieldProgrammable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). The programmablefunction blocks may range from fine grained (combinatorial logic or lookup tables) to coarse grained (arithmetic logic units or processorcores). A programmable hardware element may also be referred to as“reconfigurable logic”.

Computer System—any of various types of computing or processing systems,including a personal computer system (PC), mainframe computer system,workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digitalassistant (PDA), television system, grid computing system, or otherdevice or combinations of devices. In general, the term “computersystem” can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combinationof devices) having at least one processor that executes instructionsfrom a memory medium.

User Equipment (UE) (or “UE Device”)—any of various types of computersystems devices which are mobile or portable and which performs wirelesscommunications. Examples of UE devices include mobile telephones orsmart phones (e.g., iPhone™, Android™-based phones), portable gamingdevices (e.g., Nintendo DSTM PlayStation Portable™, Gameboy Advance™),laptops, wearable devices (e.g. smart watch, smart glasses), PDAs,portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, or otherhandheld devices, etc. In general, the term “UE” or “UE device” can bebroadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and/ortelecommunications device (or combination of devices) which is easilytransported by a user and capable of wireless communication.

Wireless Device™any of various types of computer system devices whichperforms wireless communications. A wireless device can be portable (ormobile) or may be stationary or fixed at a certain location. A UE is anexample of a wireless device.

Communication Device—any of various types of computer systems or devicesthat perform communications, where the communications can be wired orwireless. A communication device can be portable (or mobile) or may bestationary or fixed at a certain location. A wireless device is anexample of a communication device. A UE is another example of acommunication device.

Base Station—The term “Base Station” (also called “eNB” or “gNB”) hasthe full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes awireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used tocommunicate as part of a wireless cellular communication system.

Link Budget Limited—includes the full breadth of its ordinary meaning,and at least includes a characteristic of a wireless device (a UE) whichexhibits limited communication capabilities, or limited power, relativeto a device that is not link budget limited, or relative to devices forwhich a radio access technology (RAT) standard has been developed. A UEthat is link budget limited may experience relatively limited receptionand/or transmission capabilities, which may be due to one or morefactors such as device design, device size, battery size, antenna sizeor design, transmit power, receive power, current transmission mediumconditions, and/or other factors. Such devices may be referred to hereinas “link budget limited” (or “link budget constrained”) devices. Adevice may be inherently link budget limited due to its size, batterypower, and/or transmit/receive power. For example, a smart watch that iscommunicating over LTE or LTE-A with a base station may be inherentlylink budget limited due to its reduced transmit/receive power and/orreduced antenna. Wearable devices, such as smart watches, are generallylink budget limited devices. Alternatively, a device may not beinherently link budget limited, e.g., may have sufficient size, batterypower, and/or transmit/receive power for normal communications over LTEor LTE-A, but may be temporarily link budget limited due to currentcommunication conditions, e.g., a smart phone being at the edge of acell, etc. It is noted that the term “link budget limited” includes orencompasses power limitations, and thus a power limited device may beconsidered a link budget limited device.

Processing Element (or Processor)—refers to various elements orcombinations of elements. Processing elements include, for example,circuits such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit),portions or circuits of individual processor cores, entire processorcores, individual processors, programmable hardware devices such as afield programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or larger portions of systemsthat include multiple processors.

Automatically—refers to an action or operation performed by a computersystem (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g.,circuitry, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.), without userinput directly specifying or performing the action or operation. Thus,the term “automatically” is in contrast to an operation being manuallyperformed or specified by the user, where the user provides input todirectly perform the operation. An automatic procedure may be initiatedby input provided by the user, but the subsequent actions that areperformed “automatically” are not specified by the user, i.e., are notperformed “manually”, where the user specifies each action to perform.For example, a user filling out an electronic form by selecting eachfield and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typinginformation, selecting check boxes, radio selections, etc.) is fillingout the form manually, even though the computer system must update theform in response to the user actions. The form may be automaticallyfilled out by the computer system where the computer system (e.g.,software executing on the computer system) analyzes the fields of theform and fills in the form without any user input specifying the answersto the fields. As indicated above, the user may invoke the automaticfilling of the form, but is not involved in the actual filling of theform (e.g., the user is not manually specifying answers to fields butrather they are being automatically completed). The presentspecification provides various examples of operations beingautomatically performed in response to actions the user has taken.

Configured to—Various components may be described as “configured to”perform a task or tasks. In such contexts, “configured to” is a broadrecitation generally meaning “having structure that” performs the taskor tasks during operation. As such, the component can be configured toperform the task even when the component is not currently performingthat task (e.g., a set of electrical conductors may be configured toelectrically connect a module to another module, even when the twomodules are not connected). In some contexts, “configured to” may be abroad recitation of structure generally meaning “having circuitry that”performs the task or tasks during operation. As such, the component canbe configured to perform the task even when the component is notcurrently on. In general, the circuitry that forms the structurecorresponding to “configured to” may include hardware circuits.

Various components may be described as performing a task or tasks, forconvenience in the description. Such descriptions should be interpretedas including the phrase “configured to.” Reciting a component that isconfigured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not toinvoke 35 U.S.C. § 112, paragraph six, interpretation for thatcomponent.

It is well understood that the use of personally identifiableinformation should follow privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular,personally identifiable information data should be managed and handledso as to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use,and the nature of authorized use should be clearly indicated to users.

FIG. 1—Wireless Communication System

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless cellular communicationsystem. It is noted that FIG. 1 represents one possibility among many,and that features of the present disclosure may be implemented in any ofvarious systems, as desired. For example, embodiments described hereinmay be implemented in any type of wireless device. The wirelessembodiment described below is one example embodiment.

As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes aplurality of wireless access points (APs) 104A-104N, which communicateover a wireless local area network (WLAN) with a wireless device 106.The wireless device 106 may be a user device, which may be referred toherein as “user equipment” (UE), or a UE device.

Note that at least in some instances a UE device 106 may be capable ofcommunicating using any of a plurality of wireless communicationtechnologies. For example, a UE device 106 might be configured tocommunicate using one or more of GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR,WLAN (including Wi-Fi or IEEE 802.11-compliant protocols), Bluetooth,one or more global navigational satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS orGLONASS), one and/or more mobile television broadcasting standards(e.g., ATSC-M/H), etc. Other combinations of wireless communicationtechnologies (including more than two wireless communicationtechnologies) are also possible. Likewise, in some instances a UE device106 may be configured to communicate using only a single wirelesscommunication technology.

As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system also includes aplurality of WLAN APs 104A-N, which communicate over a transmissionmedium with the wireless device 106. The WLAN AP, which may be a Wi-FiAP, also provides communicative connectivity to the network 100. Each ofthe WLAN APs (which may be more concisely referred to herein as “APs”)may communicate within one or more different WLAN frequency bands, suchas 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and/or 6 GHz, among other possibilities. Thus,according to some embodiments, wireless devices may be able to connectto one or more of the access points 104A-N and/or the base station 102(or another cellular base station) to access the network 100 at a giventime.

The UE 106 may include a handheld device such as a smart phone ortablet, and/or may include any of various types of device with cellularcommunications capability. For example, the UE 106 may be a wirelessdevice intended for stationary or nomadic deployment such as anappliance, measurement device, control device, etc.

The UE 106 may include a device or integrated circuit for facilitatingcellular communication, referred to as a cellular modem. The cellularmodem may include one or more processors (processor elements) andvarious hardware components as described herein. The UE 106 may performany of the method embodiments described herein by executing instructionson one or more programmable processors. Alternatively, or in addition,the one or more processors may be one or more programmable hardwareelements such as an FPGA (field-programmable gate array), or othercircuitry, that is configured to perform any of the method embodimentsdescribed herein, or any portion of any of the method embodimentsdescribed herein. The cellular modem described herein may be used in aUE device as defined herein, a wireless device as defined herein, or acommunication device as defined herein. The cellular modem describedherein may also be used in a base station or other similar network sidedevice.

The UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using twoor more wireless communication protocols or radio access technologies.In some embodiments, the UE device 106 might be configured tocommunicate using a single shared radio. The shared radio may couple toa single antenna, or may couple to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO)for performing wireless communications. Alternatively, the UE device 106may include two or more radios. Other configurations are also possible.

The UE 106 may be further configured to wirelessly communicate with acellular base station 102, which may also be equipped to communicatewith the network 100 (e.g., a core network of a cellular serviceprovider, a telecommunication network such as a public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), and/or the Internet, among variouspossibilities). Thus, the base station 102 may facilitate communicationamong the UE devices 106 and/or between the UE devices 106 and thenetwork 100. In other implementations, base station 102 can beconfigured to provide communications over one or more other wirelesstechnologies, such as an access point supporting one or more WLANprotocols, such as 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac, ad, and/or ax, or LTE in anunlicensed band (LAA).

The communication area (or coverage area) of the base station 102 may bereferred to as a “cell.” The base station 102 and the UEs 106 may beconfigured to communicate over the transmission medium using any ofvarious radio access technologies (RATs) or wireless communicationtechnologies, such as GSM, UMTS (WCDMA, TDS-CDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced(LTE-A), 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD,eHRPD), Wi-Fi, WiMAX etc.

Base station 102 and other similar base stations (not shown) operatingaccording to one or more cellular communication technologies may thus beprovided as a network of cells, which may provide continuous or nearlycontinuous overlapping service to the UE device 106 and similar devicesover a geographic area via one or more cellular communicationtechnologies.

The UE 106 and/or one or more of the APs 104 may be configured toperform any of the methods disclosed herein, e.g., to perform networkprobing.

FIG. 2-Example Block Diagram of a UE Device

FIG. 2 illustrates one possible block diagram of a UE device, such as UEdevice 106. As shown, the UE device 106 may include a system on chip(SOC) 200, which may include portions for various purposes. For example,as shown, the SOC 200 may include processor(s) 202 which may executeprogram instructions for the UE device 106, and display circuitry 204which may perform graphics processing and provide display signals to thedisplay 260. The SOC 200 may also include motion sensing circuitry 270which may detect motion of the UE 106, for example using a gyroscope,accelerometer, and/or any of various other motion sensing components.The processor(s) 202 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU)240, which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor(s)202 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory206, read only memory (ROM) 250, flash memory 210). The MMU 240 may beconfigured to perform memory protection and page table translation orset up. In some embodiments, the MMU 240 may be included as a portion ofthe processor(s) 202.

As shown, the SOC 200 may be coupled to various other circuits of the UE106. For example, the UE 106 may include various types of memory (e.g.,including NAND flash 210), a connector interface (I/F) 220 (e.g., forcoupling to a computer system, dock, charging station, etc.), thedisplay 260, and wireless communication circuitry 230 (e.g., for LTE,LTE-A, NR, CDMA2000, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC, GPS, etc.).

The UE device 106 may include at least one antenna, and in someembodiments, multiple antennas 235 a and 235 b, for performing wirelesscommunication with base station 102, wireless access points 104, and/orother devices. For example, the UE device 106 may use antennas 235 a and235 b to perform the wireless communication. In some implementations,the antenna 235 a and/or the antenna 235 b may include a plurality ofantennas and/or one or more antenna arrays. As noted above, the UEdevice 106 may in some embodiments be configured to communicatewirelessly using a plurality of wireless communication standards orradio access technologies (RATs). When the UE 106 is in communicationwith a wireless access point 104 over a WLAN network, the UE 106 may bereferred to as a wireless station, or “STA”.

The wireless communication circuitry 230 may include WLAN Logic 232,Cellular logic 234, and/or Short-range Logic 236. The WLAN Logic 232 isfor enabling the UE device 106 to perform Wi-Fi and/or other WLANcommunications on a wireless network, such as an 802.11 network. TheShort-range Logic 236 is for enabling the UE device 106 to performwireless communications according to any of various short-rangecommunication protocols, such as Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low-Energy(BLE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra wideband (UWB), etc. Thecellular logic 234 may be a cellular modem capable of performingcellular communication according to one or more cellular communicationtechnologies, such as GSM, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2CDMA2000, etc. In some scenarios, each of the WLAN Logic 232, theCellular Logic 234, and the Short-range Logic 236, or some portionthereof, may be referred to as a radio. For example, the WLAN Logic 232may be referred to as, or may include, a WLAN radio, such as a Wi-Firadio; the Cellular Logic 234 may be referred to as, or may include, acellular radio; and/or the Short-range Logic 336 may be referred to as,or may include, one or more of a BT radio, a NFC radio, a UWB radio,etc.

As described herein, UE 106 may include hardware and software componentsfor implementing embodiments of this disclosure, e.g., to performresource scheduling via specific scheduling requests, according to anyof the methods disclosed herein. For example, one or more components ofthe wireless communication circuitry 230 (e.g., WLAN Logic 232, cellularlogic 234, Short-range Logic 236) of the UE device 106 may be configuredto implement part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by aprocessor executing program instructions stored on a memory medium(e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), a processorconfigured as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and/or usingdedicated hardware components, which may include an ASIC (ApplicationSpecific Integrated Circuit).

FIG. 3—Block Diagram of a WLAN Access Point

FIG. 3 illustrates an example block diagram of a WLAN access point (AP)104, according to some embodiments. It is noted that the AP of FIG. 3 ismerely one example of a possible AP. As shown, the AP 104 may includeprocessor(s) 304 which may execute program instructions for the accesspoint 104. The processor(s) 304 may also be coupled to memory managementunit (MMU) 340, which may be configured to receive addresses from theprocessor(s) 304 and translate those addresses to locations in memory(e.g., memory 360 and read only memory (ROM) 350) or to other circuitsor devices.

The AP 104 may include at least one network port 370. The network port370 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide aplurality of devices, such as UE devices 106, access to the telephonenetwork as described above in FIG. 1.

The network port 370 (or an additional network port) may also oralternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, e.g., acore network of a cellular service provider. The core network mayprovide mobility related services and/or other services to a pluralityof devices, such as UE devices 106. In some cases, the network port 370may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and/or the corenetwork may provide a telephone network (e.g., among other UE devicesserviced by the cellular service provider).

The AP 104 may include at least one wireless transceiver, which mayinclude one or more radio 330, one or more communication chain 332 andone or more antenna 334. The wireless transceiver and may be furtherconfigured to communicate with UE device 106. Communication chain 332may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both, and may include,e.g., physical layer processing circuitry. The radio 330 may beconfigured to communicate via one or more of various wirelesscommunication standards, including, but not limited to, LTE, LTE-A, NR,GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc. Each of the antennas 334 may beconfigured to operate within a different frequency band, and/or within aseparate WLAN network, in some embodiments.

The AP 104 may be configured to communicate wirelessly using multiplewireless communication standards. For example, as one possibility, theAP 104 may include an LTE or 5G NR radio for performing communicationaccording to LTE or 5G NR, as well as a Wi-Fi radio for performingcommunication according to Wi-Fi. In such a case, the AP 104 may becapable of operating as both an LTE base station and a Wi-Fi accesspoint. As another possibility, the AP 104 may include a multi-mode radiowhich is capable of performing communications according to any ofmultiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., NR and Wi-Fi, NR andUMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.). As still anotherpossibility, the AP 104 may be configured to act exclusively as a Wi-Fiaccess point, e.g., without cellular communication capability.

As described further subsequently herein, the AP 104 may includehardware and software components for implementing or supportingimplementation of features described herein, e.g., to perform resourcescheduling via specific scheduling requests. The processor(s) 304 of theaccess point 104 may be configured to implement or supportimplementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., byexecuting program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., anon-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, theprocessor(s) 304 may be configured as a programmable hardware element,such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC(Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof.Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 304 of the AP 104, inconjunction with one or more of the other components 330, 332, 334, 340,350, 360, and/or 370, may be configured to implement or supportimplementation of part or all of the features described herein.

Resource Scheduling via a Specific Scheduling Request

Legacy systems defined by the various IEEE 802.11 standards have definedcontention-based operation. However, 802.11ax also defines downlink (DL)and uplink (UL) orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)and UL multi-user (MU) multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO)communications. These features enable Wi-Fi to function as ascheduling-based system. In a highly congested environment, ascheduling-based system tends to yield better performance thandistributed contention-based operation.

However, UL OFDMA performance is highly dependent on the schedulingalgorithms employed by the AP. For example, the AP, such as the AP 104,may determine when to trigger a STA (also referred to herein as a“client device”), such as the UE 106, and/or the number/size of resourceunits (RUs) assigned to the STA. STAs may have no control over thesedetails. Therefore, the performance of a scheduling-based system may beimproved by providing to the AP accurate and timely information abouttraffic to and/or from STAs with which the AP is communicating.

Providing information regarding DL traffic may be straightforward,because DL buffer information may be directly available to the AP.However, providing information regarding UL traffic may be morechallenging, because the information must be provided by the STA.

The 802.11ax standard has defined two types of UL buffer status reports(BSRs) to allow the STA to report information regarding its UL traffic.Specifically, the first type of BSR may be included in the HE controlfield, whereas the second type of BSR may be included in the QoS controlfield. However, in some applications, neither type of B SR may includesufficient information to achieve a desired quality of service (QoS).

For example, according to the existing 802.11ax standard, a client canreport only current transmit queue size (also referred to as bufferstatus) in BSR. Therefore, the AP remains unaware of future traffic,even if that traffic is known to the STA. Thus, the AP may noteffectively allocate resources for such future traffic until after thetraffic has entered the STA's transmit queue and been reported in asubsequent BSR. This may lead to the AP allocating resources too late,or allocating RU sizes that are too small, such that the STA's QoSrequirements are not met.

As another example, channel access restrictions may result in longdelays between BSRs sent by the STA. For example, under currentrestrictions governing MU enhanced distributed channel access (EDCA), aSTA may experience a delay of up to 2 seconds before switching back toregular EDCA, if not triggered by the AP.

As a result of these shortcomings, a STA may not deliver a BSR to the APin a timely manner. As a consequence, the AP's resource allocations maynot satisfy the STA's QoS requirements, especially for latency-sensitiveapplications.

Additionally, resource allocation in response to a BSR may be somewhatunpredictable. For example, when a STA provides information regardingits current transmit queue size in a BSR, the AP may respond with anallocation that is not advantageous for the STA. For example, the AP mayemploy any of various options when allocating frequencies and/or RUsizes to the STA, and may not know which option is most appropriate forthe STA. As a specific example, FIG. 4 illustrates two differentpossible resource allocations for a STA: allocation type 1 andallocation type 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, in a first scenario, the AP may receive a BSRat a first time, and may respond by allocating a number of RUs to theSTA in a single RU block 410 at some later time. With allocation type 1,the RU block 410 may be allocated with a duration and a number of RUssufficient to deplete the STA's buffer as reported in the received BSR.However, allocation type 1 may lead to high latency, as well as bufferoverflow risks, because the STA may not transmit for an extended timewindow prior to the occurrence of the RU block 410.

In a second scenario, the AP may receive the B SR at a first time, andmay respond by allocating RUs to the STA in a plurality of RU blocks420-460 at a plurality of later times. In various scenarios, theallocated RU blocks may have the same or different durations and/ornumbers of RUs. With allocation type 2, the RU blocks 420-460 may beallocated with a cumulative duration and number of RUs sufficient todeplete the STA's buffer as reported in the received BSR. Allocationtype 2 may alleviate the disadvantages noted previously with regard toallocation type 1, e.g., by allowing a more gradual flow of UL data fromthe STA's buffer. However, allocation type 2 may result in otherdisadvantages, such as loss of power-saving opportunities for the STA,and/or more complex scheduling with respect to other devices utilizingthe channel.

Without additional information from the STA, the AP may use only the BSRinformation to determine the status of the STA for purposes ofallocating RU blocks. In such scenarios, the AP it may select the optionthat would simplify the scheduler design (e.g., allocation type 1), toreduce the complexity of the allocation algorithm. However, this may notmeet every STA' s QoS requirements.

In addition, in some scenarios, the AP may not use (e.g., may ignore)the information received from the STA in the BSR. This makes allocationeven harder to predict, which may render the STA unable to predictwhether it will be able to meet the QoS requirements for a currentapplication.

To address these shortcomings, a STA may provide to an AP a SpecificScheduling Request (SSR). The SSR may include scheduling requestparameters and/or feedback regarding current scheduling. In somescenarios, the SSR may be transmitted periodically, or upon initiationor termination of a particular application. For example, in somescenarios, the SSR transmitted upon initiation of an application mayinclude scheduling request parameters based on QoS requirements of thatapplication and/or to accommodate expected traffic parameters for thatapplication.

In some implementations, an SSR may be included in a medium accesscontrol (MAC) header, e.g., in an A-Control field. For example, the SSRmay use a previously reserved value to communicate the schedulingrequest parameters and/or feedback regarding current scheduling. In somescenarios, the presence of the SSR within a first field, e.g., theA-Control field, may be signaled by a value included in a differentfield. As a specific example, the Control ID field may be set to aspecific value (e.g., 14, which is currently a reserved value) toindicate that the A-Control field contains an SSR.

An example of one possible configuration of an SSR is shown in Table 1.The example shown in Table 1 may be included in the A-Control field ofthe MAC header, or may be included in a different field or differentheader. It should be understood that the SSR defined in Table 1 is aspecific example, and numerous variations in format and/or arrangementof fields are also envisioned.

TABLE 1 More Slow Min Trig Max Trig Frequent More DL BA LA IntervalInterval Scheduling Allocations Request Request Reserved Bits: 10 10 1 11 1 2

The Min Trig Interval and Max Trig Interval fields may be used by theSTA to request specific scheduling parameters to the AP, when available.Specifically, these fields may influence how often the AP transmits atrigger frame, which may carry resource allocation information to theSTA.

The Min Trig Interval field specifies a requested minimum intervalbetween trigger frames, e.g., in units of 5 ms. In some scenarios, afirst specific value (e.g., 0) may be used to indicate that the STA doesnot request a minimum scheduling interval. In some scenarios, a secondspecific value (e.g., 1023) may be used to indicate that the previousMin Trig Interval is no longer valid.

The Max Trig Interval field specifies a requested maximum intervalbetween trigger frames, e.g., in units of 5 ms. In some scenarios, afirst specific value (e.g., 0) may be used to indicate that the STA doesnot request maximum scheduling interval. In some scenarios, a secondspecific value (e.g., 1023) may be used to indicate that the previousMax Trig Interval is no longer valid.

In some scenarios, additional or alternative fields may be used tosignal/request other scheduling parameters to the AP. For example, theSSR may include a Min Allocation Rate field, specifying a requestedminimum data throughput (e.g., at the MAC level) to be allocated. E.g.,the STA may request that the AP allocate sufficient resources to allowthe specified throughput.

The More Frequent Scheduling and More Allocations fields may be used bythe STA to provide feedback regarding the quality of current schedulingparameters, when available.

The More Frequent Scheduling field may indicate a request that triggerframes be sent more frequently than currently scheduled. For example, insome scenarios, the More Frequent Scheduling field may be set to a firstvalue (e.g., 1) to indicate that the STA requests the AP to send morefrequent trigger frames to the STA. The More Frequent Scheduling fieldmay be set to a second value (e.g., 0) to indicate that the STA does notrequest more frequent scheduling from the AP, e.g., because noinformation is available at the STA or because the current schedulinginterval satisfies the STA's traffic requirement. In other scenarios,the More Frequent Scheduling field may include a plurality of bits, andmay indicate additional information, such as a desired degree ofincrease in trigger frame frequency. Alternatively, the SSR may includeone or more additional fields, such as a Step Size field associated withthe More Frequent Scheduling field. Such a Step Size field may indicatea requested/suggested amount by which the AP should decrease the triggerframe interval in response to a request in the More Frequent Schedulingfield.

The More Allocation field may indicate a request that a larger number ofRUs be allocated to the STA than are currently allocated. For example,in some scenarios, the More Allocation Field may be set to a first value(e.g., 1) to indicate that the STA requests the AP to allocate more RUsto the STA. The More Allocation field may be set to a second value(e.g., 0) to indicate that the STA does not request more RU allocationsfrom the AP, e.g., because no information is available at the clientdevice or because the current scheduling satisfies the STA's trafficrequirement. In other scenarios, the More Allocation field may include aplurality of bits, and may indicate additional information, such as adesired amount by which the RUs may be increased. Alternatively, the SSRmay include one or more additional fields, such as a Step Size fieldassociated with the More Allocation field. Such a Step Size field mayindicate a requested/suggested amount by which the AP should increasethe RU allocation in response to a request in the More FrequentScheduling field.

The DL BA Request field may indicate a request for the AP to set up adownlink Block ACK (BA) agreement with the STA. For example, this fieldmay be used when the STA has torn down the downlink block ACK agreement,but the AP has not yet initiated setting up a new downlink block ACKagreement. For example, the DL BA Request field may be set to a firstvalue (e.g., 1) to indicate that the STA is requesting the AP to set upBlock ACK agreement for the traffic identifiers (TIDs) that have not setup BA agreement.

The DL BA Request field may be set to a second value (e.g., 0) toindicate that no DL BA request is being made.

The Slow LA Request field may be used by the STA to influence linkadaptation (LA) performed by the AP. For example, in some scenarios, ifthe AP does not receive an ACK or BA in response to a transmittedpacket, the AP may respond by performing link adaptation, such asreducing the link rate or changing the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), based on the assumption that the transmitted packet and/or theACK/BA was lost due to collision or poor link margin. However, in somescenarios, the STA may fail to transmit an ACK or BA due to transmitlimitations of the STA. In such scenarios, the STA may use the Slow LARequest field to inform the AP that the lack of ACK or BA from the STAmay be due to the STA's Tx limitations. In response to an indication inthe Slow LA Request field, the AP may reduce or forego such ratereduction and/or other link adaptation that would otherwise be performedresponsive to a missing ACK/BA. For example, the Slow LA Request may beset to a first value (e.g., 1) to indicate that the STA is requestingthe AP to reduce its rate scaling due to lack of ACK or BA from the STA.In other scenarios, the Slow LA Request field may include a plurality ofbits, and may indicate additional information, such as a desired amountby which the link adaptation may be slowed. Alternatively, the SSR mayinclude one or more additional fields, such as a Step Size fieldassociated with the Slow LA Request field. Such a Step Size field mayindicate a requested/suggested amount by which the AP should decreaselink adaptation in response to a request in the Slow LA Request field.

In some scenarios, additional or alternative fields may be used by theSTA to provide feedback regarding current scheduling parameters. Forexample, the SSR may include a Max Tx Power for TB PPDU field, which mayindicate a maximum transmission power the STA can use when transmittingaccording to the allocated resources.

Any of the fields included in the SSR, e.g., as illustrated in Table 1,or in any other implementation, may be determined by the STA, e.g.,based on one or more of: a current transmit queue size at the STA,future traffic known or inferred by the STA, QoS requirements of the STAor of an application being implemented by the STA, current channelconditions, or other factors known to the STA.

In some scenarios, the SSR may include a buffer status of the STA, e.g.,as in a BSR. In other scenarios, the SSR may not include the bufferstatus of the STA, e.g., because the buffer status may be reported tothe AP in a BSR, or because the buffer status may be unnecessary inlight of the other data communicated in the SSR.

Another example of one possible configuration of an SSR is shown inTable 2. The example shown in Table 2 may be included in any of variouscommunications. For example, the SSR shown may be included in aninformation element (IE) included in a management frame (e.g., amanagement frame as defined in an applicable 802.11 standard). It shouldbe understood that the SSR defined in Table 2 is a specific example, andmany other formats are also possible.

TABLE 2 Field Name Field Size Description Version 1 Octet Version of theSSR format SSR 1 octet 0x00: regular SSR with parameters Subtype 0x01:additional SSR subtype Others: reserved Length 1 octet The length of theSSR Subtype Content field, excluding the Length field SSR Subtype SSRSubtype SSR Subtype Content dependent Content

As an example, an IE including an SSR (e.g., the SSR shown in Table 2)may be formatted as shown in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Field Name Field Size (Octets) Description Element ID 1 ElementID Length 1 Length of the IE OUI 3 Company OUI Type 1 SSR IE typeType-Specific Content-specific SSR IE Content Content

The example shown in Table 3 represents a vendor-specific IE, which mayinclude an SSR. For example, the SSR shown in Table 2 may be includedwithin the Type-Specific Content field of the IE shown in Table 3. Inother examples, an IE may be a general IE, rather than a vendor-specificIE, in which case the organizationally unique identifier (OUI) field maybe omitted. It should be understood that the IE defined in Table 3 is aspecific example, and many other formats are also possible.

An SSR may include one or more parameters to be communicated from theSTA to the AP. As an example, possible formats and values of suchparameters are shown in Table 4. In some scenarios, one or more of theparameters shown in Table 4 may be included in the SSR Subtype Contentfield of the SSR shown in Table 2, e.g., for SSR Subtype Ox00. It shouldbe understood that the parameters and formats defined in Table 5illustrate a specific example, and many other options are also possible.

TABLE 4 Field Name Field Size Description Min 2 octets Minimum Triggerinterval Trig requested, in units of 5 ms. Interval When set to 0xFFFF,no information is provided. When set to 0x0000, no request is made onMin Trig Interval, and earlier requests on Min Trig Interval areobsolete. Max 2 octets Maximum Trigger interval Trig requested, in unitsof 5 ms. Interval When set to 0xFFFF, no information is provided. Whenset to 0x0000, no request is made on Max Trig Interval, and earlierrequests on Max Trig Interval are obsolete. Min 2 octets Minimumallocation needed, in units Allocation of 64 Kbps. Rate When set to0xFFFF, no information is provided. When set to 0x0000, no request ismade on Min Allocation Rate, and earlier requests on Min Allocation Rateare obsolete. This field may be defined for each traffic identifier(TID), for each access category, and/or for the overall trafficrequirement. Current 2 octets Scheduling Feedback: More b0 When set to1, more frequent Frequent allocation is requested. When set toScheduling 0, no request is made on frequency of the allocations. Moreb1 When set to 1, allocation of more Allocations RUs is requested. Whenset to 0, no request is made on frequency of the allocations. Step sizefor b2-3 Step size, in units of 2 ms, for the AP “More Frequent toreduce the trigger frame interval Scheduling” when the “More Frequentfield Scheduling Needed” field is set to 1. Value 0 indicates that thisinformation is not provided by the STA, and it is up to the AP to decidethe reduction in trigger frame interval. Step size for b4-5 Step size,in units of 64 Kbps, for the “More AP to increase the RU allocations inAllocation” trigger frames when the “More field Frequent SchedulingNeeded” field is set to 1. Value 0 indicates that this information isnot provided by the STA, and it is up to the AP to decide the increasein RU allocations in trigger frames. Max Tx b6-7 Indicates the maxtransmission Power for power the STA can use to transmit TB PPDU TB PPDUin response to trigger frames. Value 0 indicates that this informationis not provided by the STA. Reserved Remaining bits Reserved

As another example, possible formats and values of parameters to becommunicated from by the STA to the AP are shown in Table 5. In somescenarios, one or more of the parameters shown in Table 5 may beincluded in the SSR Subtype Content field of the SSR shown in Table 2,e.g., for SSR Subtype Ox01. It should be understood that the parametersand formats defined in Table 5 illustrate a specific example, and manyother options are also possible.

TABLE 5 Field Name Field Size Description DL BA Setup 1 octet The STA isrequesting the AP to set Request up downlink Block ACK agreement for theTID that is set to 1 in the octet. STA Performance 1 octet Feedback:Slow LA Request b0 The STA is requesting the AP to slow the rate of MCSadaptation implemented when reducing rate due to lack of acknowledgmentfrom the STA. Reserved Remaining bits Reserved

In some implementations, the AP may be configured (e.g., obligated,required) to take certain action(s) in response to receiving an SSR. Forexample, the AP may be configured to comply with the Minimum Triggerinterval, Maximum Trigger interval, Minimum Allocation Rate, and/orother parameters communicated in the SSR. As another example, the AP maybe configured to make a best effort attempt to comply with suchparameters. As yet another example, the AP may be configured to considerthe requested parameters, e.g., in conjunction with data from othersources.

As a specific example, an AP may interpret SSR parameters as follows,e.g., when the SSR Subtype is Ox00.

After receiving SSR information with a non-zero, non-OxFFFF Min TrigInterval, the AP may adjust the minimum interval between trigger framesaddressed to this particular STA to be Min Trig Interval.

After receiving SSR information with a non-zero, non-OxFFFF Max TrigInterval, the AP may adjust the maximum interval between trigger framesaddressed to this particular STA to be Max Trig Interval.

After receiving SSR information with a non-zero, non-OxFFFF MinAllocation Rate, the AP may schedule the UL OFDMA transmissionopportunity for this STA in such a way that the total MAC throughputthrough trigger-based access is at least min Allocation rate (Mbps).

When any of the Min Trig Interval, Max Trig Interval, or Min AllocationRate fields is set to 0, the AP may ignore the corresponding requestingparameters in the SSR.

When any of the Min Trig Interval, Max Trig Interval, or Min AllocationRate fields is set to OxFFFF, the AP may consider that earlier SSRrequests for the corresponding parameters become obsolete. E.g., the APmay operate as if there is no longer any request on the correspondingparameters from the STA.

After receiving SSR information with no valid min and max Trig Interval,but wherein “More frequent Scheduling” is set to 1, then the AP mayreduce its trigger frame interval by a predetermined amount. Thepredetermined amount may be based on the “Step Size for More FrequentScheduling Needed” field. The AP may not be configured (or required) toadjust its trigger frame interval (or may be configured to not adjustits trigger frame interval) if this field is set to 0.

After receiving SSR information wherein “More Allocation” is set to 1,then the AP may increase its allocation to this STA by a predeterminedamount. The predetermined amount may be based on the “Step Size for MoreAllocation” field. The AP may not be configured (or required) to adjustits trigger frame allocations (or may be configured to not adjust itstrigger frame allocations) to this STA if this field is set to 0.

After receiving the Max Tx Power for TB PPDU information, the AP mayadjust its trigger frame parameters to ensure the STA does not exceedthe value indicated by the Max TX Power for TB PPDU field whentransmitting a trigger-based PLCP Protocol Data Unit (TB PPDU) inresponse to trigger frames.

As another specific example, an AP may interpret SSR parameters asfollows, e.g., when the SSR Subtype is Ox01.

When any bit in the DL BA Setup Request field is set to 1, the AP mayinitiate setting up downlink Block ACK Agreement with the STA for theTID corresponding to that bit. For example, the least-significant bitmay correspond to TID 0 and the most-significant bit may correspond toTID 7.

When Slow LA Request is set to 1, the STA is indicating to the AP thatthe lack of ACK or Block ACK is likely not due to collision, but mayinstead be due to STA's internal Tx limitations, or other cause.Therefore, the AP may slow its rate scaling down in such case.

In some implementations, frames that carry SSR information may usesingle user enhanced distributed channel access (SU EDCA) parameters.For example, they may be put into non-trigger-based access queues toavoid any potential delay due to AP's scheduling policy.

In some implementations, a QoS Null frame carrying BSR information maybe sent in either SU EDCA parameters or Trigger-based access, e.g.,whichever acquires the medium first.

It should be understood that the preceding explanations andillustrations are merely examples, and additional variations arepossible. In various implementations, some of the elements illustratedmay be omitted or changed.

FIG. 5—Method for Resource Scheduling

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example method for performingresource scheduling, according to some embodiments, consistent with thepreceding discussion. The method of FIG. 5 may be performed by a STA,such as the UE 106, or by some portion thereof, such as by the wirelesscommunication circuitry 230 and/or the processor(s) 202. It should beunderstood that the flow diagram shown in FIG. 5 is one example, andnumerous variations are envisioned within the scope of the presentdisclosure. For example, one or more of the elements illustrated in FIG.5 may be omitted or rearranged, or additional elements may be added.

At 502, the STA may determine a minimum quality of service metric forwireless communication between the STA and an AP, such as the AP 104.For example, the minimum quality of service metric may be a minimumdesired metric, e.g., for supporting a software application beingimplemented by the STA, or a minimum acceptable quality of servicemetric needed, e.g., to accommodate expected traffic parameters for theapplication. The minimum quality of service metric may include one ormore measure of QoS, including any metrics known in the art.

At 504, the STA may determine minimum scheduling parameters to achievethe minimum QoS metric. For example, the minimum scheduling parametersmay include a minimum and/or maximum interval between trigger framestransmitted by the AP, wherein the trigger frames carry resourceallocation information for the STA. As another example, the minimumscheduling parameters may include a minimum data throughput to beaccommodated by the allocated communication resources. Other minimumscheduling parameters are also envisioned.

At 506, the STA may transmit, to the AP, a SSR indicating one or more ofthe minimum scheduling parameters. In some scenarios, the SSR may betransmitted periodically. In some scenarios, the SSR may be transmittedin response to initiation of the software application by the STA. Insome scenarios, the SSR may be included in an A-Control field of a MACheader of a communication packet. In some such scenarios, the MAC headermay further include an indication that the A-Control field includes thespecific scheduling request. In some scenarios, the SSR may be includedin an IE of a management frame.

In some scenarios, the SSR may also indicate feedback regarding currentallocation of communication resources to the STA. For example, thefeedback regarding current allocation of communication resources to theSTA may include a request that the AP transmit trigger frames morefrequently than currently scheduled. As another example, the feedbackmay include a request that the AP allocate more resource units to theSTA than are currently allocated. As yet another example, the feedbackmay include a request that the AP set up a block-acknowledge agreementwith the STA. Other feedback regarding current allocation ofcommunication resources to the STA is also envisioned.

In some scenarios, the SSR may also include additional requestsregarding performance or behavior of the AP in connection with the STA.For example, the SSR may include a request that the AP reduce the rateat which it performs link adaptation in response to failure to receivean acknowledgment message from the STA.

In some scenarios, the SSR may also include a buffer status of the STA,e.g., similar or identical to the information provided in a BSR.

At 508, the STA may receive, from the AP, a resource allocation message,allocating communication resources to the STA based at least in part onthe SSR. For example, the resource allocation message may allocateresources as specified by the minimum scheduling parameters, feedbackregarding current allocation of communication resources to the STA,and/or other information included in the SSR, such as by allocatingresources that comply with a requested minimum data throughput, triggerinterval, etc. As another example, the resource allocation message maynot allocate resources that fully comply with the scheduling parametersand/or other information included in the SSR, but may allocate resourcesin a manner that was influenced by such information, or may allocateresources that comply with a portion of such information. In somescenarios, the allocated resources may include RUs, e.g., scheduled atindicated times and having indicated size(s).

In some scenarios, the AP may also take other action in response toreceiving the SSR that is transmitted by the STA at 506. For example,responsive to the SSR, the AP may change the interval betweentransmitting trigger frames. As another example, the AP may establish aDL block agreement with the STA.

At 510, the STA may communicate, with the AP, using the allocatedcommunication resources. For example, the STA may transmit using RUsallocated in the resource allocation message.

In addition to the above-described exemplary embodiments, furtherembodiments of the present disclosure may be realized in any of variousforms. For example, some embodiments may be realized as acomputer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or acomputer system. Other embodiments may be realized using one or morecustom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Still other embodimentsmay be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such asFPGAs.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable memory mediummay be configured so that it stores program instructions and/or data,where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, causethe computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of the methodembodiments described herein, or any combination of the methodembodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the methodembodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

In some embodiments, a device (e.g., a UE 106) may be configured toinclude a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherethe memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor isconfigured to read and execute the program instructions from the memorymedium, where the program instructions are executable to implement anyof the various method embodiments described herein (or any combinationof the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of themethod embodiments described herein, or any combination of suchsubsets). The device may be realized in any of various forms.

Any of the methods described herein for operating a UE or STA may be thebasis of a corresponding method for operating an AP or appropriatenetwork node, by interpreting each message/signal X received by the STAin the downlink as message/signal X transmitted by the AP, and eachmessage/signal Y transmitted in the uplink by the STA as amessage/signal Y received by the AP.

Although the embodiments above have been described in considerabledetail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent tothose skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated.It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace allsuch variations and modifications.

Claims what is claimed is:
 1. A client station (STA) comprising:wireless communication circuitry and processor circuitry communicativelycoupled to the wireless communication circuitry, the processor circuitryconfigured to cause the STA to: determine a minimum quality of servicemetric for supporting a software application being implemented by theSTA; determine minimum scheduling parameters to be implemented by anaccess point (AP) in wireless communication with the STA to achieve theminimum quality of service metric; transmit to the AP, via the wirelesscommunication circuitry, a specific scheduling request indicating theminimum scheduling parameters; receive from the AP, via the wirelesscommunication circuitry, a resource allocation message, allocatingcommunication resources to the STA based at least in part on thespecific scheduling request; and communicate with the AP, via thewireless communication circuitry, using the allocated communicationresources.
 2. The STA of claim 1, wherein the specific schedulingrequest is included in an A-Control field of a medium-access control(MAC) header of a communication packet.
 3. The STA of claim 2, whereinthe MAC header further includes an indication that the A-Control fieldincludes the specific scheduling request.
 4. The STA of claim 1, whereinthe specific scheduling request is included in an information element ofa management frame.
 5. The STA of claim 1, wherein the specificscheduling request is transmitted in response to initiation of thesoftware application by the STA.
 6. The STA of claim 1, wherein theminimum scheduling parameters include at least one of a minimum intervalbetween trigger frames transmitted by the AP or a maximum intervalbetween trigger frames transmitted by the AP, wherein the trigger framescarry resource allocation information for the STA.
 7. The STA of claim1, wherein the minimum scheduling parameters include a minimum datathroughput to be accommodated by the allocated communication resources.8. The STA of claim 1, wherein the specific scheduling request furtherindicates feedback regarding current allocation of communicationresources to the STA.
 9. The STA of claim 8, wherein the feedbackregarding current allocation of communication resources to the STAincludes at least one of a request that the AP transmit trigger framesmore frequently than currently scheduled, a request that the AP allocatemore resource units to the STA than are currently allocated, or arequest that the AP set up a block-acknowledge agreement with the STA.10. A method of performing communication resource scheduling, the methodcomprising: by a client station (STA): determining a minimum desiredquality of service metric for wireless communication between the STA andan access point (AP); determining minimum scheduling parameters to beimplemented by the AP to achieve the minimum desired quality of servicemetric; transmitting, to the AP, a specific scheduling requestindicating the minimum scheduling parameters; receiving, from the AP, aresource allocation message, allocating communication resources to theSTA based at least in part on the specific scheduling request; andcommunicating with the AP via the allocated communication resources. 11.The method of claim 10, wherein the specific scheduling request furtherindicates feedback regarding current allocation of communicationresources to the STA. 12 The method of claim 10, wherein the specificscheduling request is included in an A- Control field of a MAC header ofa communication packet.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the MACheader further includes an indication that the A-Control field includesthe specific scheduling request.
 14. The method of claim 10, wherein thespecific scheduling request is included in an information element of amanagement frame.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the minimumdesired quality of service metric is a minimum acceptable quality ofservice metric needed to accommodate expected traffic parameters for anapplication being supported by the STA, wherein the specific schedulingrequest is transmitted in response to initiation of the application. 16.A non-transitory computer-readable memory medium storing softwareinstructions executable by a processor of a client station (STA),wherein when executed the software instructions cause the STA to:determine a minimum quality of service metric for supporting a softwareapplication being implemented by the STA; determine minimum schedulingparameters to be implemented by an access point (AP) in wirelesscommunication with the STA to achieve the minimum quality of servicemetric; transmit, to the AP, a specific scheduling request indicatingthe minimum scheduling parameters; receive, from the AP, a resourceallocation message, allocating communication resources to the STA basedat least in part on the specific scheduling request; and communicatewith the AP, using the allocated communication resources.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein theminimum scheduling parameters include at least one of a minimum intervalbetween trigger frames transmitted by the AP or a maximum intervalbetween trigger frames transmitted by the AP, wherein the trigger framescarry resource allocation information for the STA.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 16, wherein theminimum scheduling parameters include a minimum data throughput to beaccommodated by the allocated communication resources.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable memory medium of claim 19, wherein thespecific scheduling request further includes at least one of a requestthat the AP transmit trigger frames more frequently than currentlyscheduled, a request the AP allocate more resource units to the STA thanare currently allocated, or a request that the AP set up ablock-acknowledge agreement with the STA.
 20. The non-transitorycomputer-readable memory medium of claim 19, wherein the specificscheduling request further includes a request that the AP reduce therate at which it performs link adaptation in response to failure toreceive an acknowledgment message from the STA.